October

Published: 2005.10.01 12:00 AM

"THE 25 MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES ON O'AHU," SEPTEMBER 2005
HONOLULU'S cover story last month.

With bodies floating in the flooded bayous of New Orleans, who gives a fig how or where the rich and famous live in Hawai'i? Will any of them step up to the plate and donate a million dollars to relief?

Tom Huff, Honolulu

"THE GREAT ESCAPE," AUGUST 2005Freelance writer Bill Harby's account of fleeing Honolulu for the tranquillity of the Big Island.

"THE FIGHT FOR MOLOKA'I," AUGUST 2005Associate editor Michael Keany's in-depth look at social and economic collisions on Moloka'i.

Great August issue! So good to see Bill Harby back on your pages. Since retiring to medical charity missions, I've been attempting to emulate Harby's enviable lifestyle, but in a polehouse on Moloka'i.

And from this view, I'd say that Michael Keany got everything right in "The Fight for Moloka'i": the clash of egos and economics, of pride and politics, of xenophobia and disregard for private property rights.

A majority of our anti-everything campaigners receive some public or private dole. Were the liberal welfare system curtailed and scams-for-grants eliminated, we'd likely see overnight a refreshing new attitude toward development and job creation.

Meanwhile, we optimistically observe the bright new light at the end of the tunnel.

As a Punahou alum, I was disappointed by the fashion trends outlined in this article. I remember the dress code being a point of contention between the student body and the administration even in the early 1980s, but the discussion then revolved around the length of shorts allowed and hair lengths, not halter tops and fishnet stockings. I was even more disappointed, though, with your writer's use of the term "gypped," which to the Roma peoples (also known as Gypsies) is considered a derogatory term.

Michael Miyamoto,
Mission Viejo, Calif.

"THE COMING SUMMER STORM," AUGUST 2005Freelance writer Katherine Nichols' article on how a potential national hotel strike might affect the Islands.

In her insightful article, Katherine Nichols mentions that in San Francisco, union organizers called potential visitors and told them to avoid the destination until a labor dispute was settled. Nichols concludes with a quote from Keith Vieira, senior vice president of Starwood Hotels and Resorts: "We truly hope that doesn't happen in Hawai'i."

Unfortunately, this already has happened in Hawai'i. Turtle Bay Resort has been the victim of a coordinated campaign by Local 5 to pressure travel agents and meeting planners into canceling bookings with us. Union agitators have [even] used ... an anti-Turtle Bay Web site to drive off potential guests ... These tactics have been one part of the union's strategy to boycott Turtle Bay Resort even as [union] members continue to depend upon [Turtle Bay's] success for their livelihoods.

Abid Butt, vice president and general manager,
Turtle Bay Resort

AHANA KOKO LELE

In our September 2005 article, "The 25 Most Expensive Homes on O'ahu," we reported that developer Tom Gentry lived at home No. 20 with his wife, Nora, until his death in 1998. This is incorrect. Tom and Nora Gentry purchased that Kahala home together in 1980, but later divorced. At the time of his death, Tom lived in a Wai'alae Iki home, married to Kiana Gentry.

Also in that feature, we mistakenly identified architect Jeff Long as the designer of house No.16. Architect Geoffrey Paterson originally designed the house adjacent to Wai'alae Golf Course; Jeff Long oversaw a more recent renovation. HONOLULU Magazine regrets the errors.